This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Blue Jays, Happ take advantage of weary White Sox: Griffin

There may be something magical batting third in the Blue Jays’ lineup that leads to instant run production.

On Thursday in the opener of a four-game set against the White Sox at the Rogers Centre it was designated hitter Adam Lind filling in for the injured Jose Bautista, chipping in with three hits, a double and three runs-batted in leading the Jays to a 7-0 win in support of starter J.A. Happ (7-4).

The Jays' Melky Cabrera gets out of the way of an errant pitch against the White Sox Thursday night at the Rogers Centre. (Rick Madonik / Toronto Star)

Lind, in the three-hole this season is batting .375 in four starts with six hits and seven RBIs. The Jays would still love to have Bautista back and seem to be targeting the Brewers series on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Happ pitched beyond the seventh inning for the second time in this season and posted a start of seven-plus shutout innings for the eighth time in his career. The up-and-down left-hander allowed four hits over 7.2 innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts. The 126 pitches were the most he has thrown in a Jays’ uniform and his seven wins is three behind Mark Buehrle for the club lead.

Article Continued Below

“It was kind of the goal, to be aggressive, force contact early,” Happ explained. “They went by look (after the seventh). (Gibbons) said just keep going and I was happy with that. It felt good.”

Happ was coming off a disappointing prior start, eight runs in four innings and the loss in Cincinnati. He used that failed outing to fuel his fires against the White Sox.

“I put it behind me, but I did pitch a little upset, a little angry,” Happ explained his inner motivation. “That helped just trying to be in the zone, try not to let those kinds of games happen.”

It was an exhausted band of White Sox that had reached the team hotel in downtown Toronto a little after four in the morning on Thursday following a night game in Baltimore and a flight grounded due to horrendous weather. The fatigue showed in the first inning.

Adam Eaton led off the game with a chopper to Munenori Kawasaki and made a mad dash to first. He suffered left leg cramping and in the bottom of the inning was replaced by Leury Garcia. Sensational Cuban rookie Jose Abreu ended the first waving at a ball in the dirt.

In the bottom of the inning, the Sox continued, dazed and confused. Jose Reyes grounded a ball into the hole at second base. Gordon Beckham gloved it for a moment, then stumbled and fell as the ball trickled away. Melky Cabrera topped a swinging bunt down the first base line that was easily fair. But pitcher Scott Carroll chose to watch it roll instead of making a play. Both runners were safe.

Lind lined a double into the right-field corner to score Reyes and right fielder Moises Sierra gunned a strong throw bound for no one about one-third of the way between the plate and the base, hitting the front of the dugout, allowing Melky to stroll home with a second run.

Article Continued Below

Lind, of course, is batting third until Bautista, out with a left hamstring strain, returns to the lineup. Bautista has not been placed on the DL and is not anticipating it, but is taking four days off from baseball activities, other than light batting practice. He will test the wonky leg on Saturday.

“Better is the best way I can describe it,” Bautista said of the tight leg. “It feels better than when it happened. So there’s been a lot of progress. But, I’m obviously not ready to play. I did stuff Monday and Tuesday just to make sure I didn’t need to go on the DL. Then four days off, activity on Saturday. As long as the training staff agrees, if I feel good after running and doing whatever else I do after I run, I don’t see a reason why I shouldn’t be able to get in there.”

There was other good news on the injury front for the Jays. Their right-handed hitting infield option, Steve Tolleson, saw the eye doctor for blurred vision that had scared him on Wednesday. Benefitting from Lasik surgery in 2009, he was told the contact lenses he was wearing to correct a recent, slight vision problem, had created an allergic reaction. He’s now about the glasses.

“When I went (to the doctor), they said, ‘Whether it’s dry eyes or not, you have a little astigmatism in both eyes. They said that if you have Lasik before age 30, there’s always potential your eyes are not done growing and it could potentially come back.”

The Jays, at the half-way point of the season, are on pace for 90 wins and have held first place alone for 36 consecutive days and 39 days overall in 2014.

“I tip my hat to these guys,” Gibbons said. “We’ve hit some stretches, hit some ruts like you do in this business. We got off to a so-so start, just sputtered along, then we hit our stride there in May and took off and played some unbelievable baseball. We’re waiting to get hot again. I’m proud of the guys. It’s given everyone in there confidence.

More from The Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com